Leading Indian Newspaper Chooses QuadTech

Friday, May 12, 2006

Press release from the issuing company

Bennett Coleman and Co. Ltd has maintained a long tradition of choosing QuadTech controls, installing four QuadTech Autotron Newspaper 2800 Register Guidance Systems at several Times of India press plants in the last three months.
The installations bring the total number of Autotron Newspaper 2800 systems bought by Bennett Coleman and Co. Ltd to 12, which have been installed on various MAN and Manugraph presses spread among plants across the country, including Bangalore, Calcutta, Pune, Lucknow, Delhi and Mumbai.
A strong business relationship has developed between Bennett Coleman and Co. Ltd and QuadTech since the company first used the Autotron 100 system in its gravure division in the 1970s. Purnendu Sen, Technical Director of Bennett Coleman and Co. Ltd, comments, “Ever since we first used QuadTech technology three decades ago, they have stood out for us in terms of performance. We are pioneers in India in terms of using newspaper press controls, integrating them into our presses before anyone else had thought of doing so. Since our early endeavours in this area, we have always given our business to QuadTech.”
With fierce competition currently permeating the Indian newspaper industry, it is vitally important to the Times of India, as market leader, that its standards are maintained. Mr Sen sees the QuadTech equipment as integral in meeting this aim: “Our press plant is meticulously maintained, like a hospital operating theatre. You could eat your dinner off the floor! We have achieved amazingly high standards in housekeeping and press performance. QuadTech has played a big role in this.
“I don’t just want another vendor. The vendor must understand our needs, our workplace culture and the standards that must be upheld. QuadTech does just this, while providing a technology that suits our products.”
As with all newspaper producers, Bennett Colman and Co. Ltd sets waste reduction high on its agenda. Mr Sen has dedicated much of his career to ensuring waste is kept to a minimum. What he has achieved, with the help of QuadTech equipment, is impressive, as he testifies; “When I took over the total wastage was 12%. Today we operate below 3.8%. This has taken my whole career, and QuadTech has had a massive influence along the way.
“The equipment has saved us an incredible amount of money. We consume 280,000 tons of newsprint a year. From 12% to 3.8% - That’s a serious amount of paper we’ve managed to save.”
The Autotron Newspaper 2800 also has to fill some criteria specific to the Indian newspaper industry. Mr Sen explains, “One of our primary considerations is the Indian climatic conditions. We have operated the system in 45 degrees centigrade, and it withstood the heat, working perfectly.”
Another factor that makes the QuadTech brand stand out for Mr Sen is the company’s commitment to the Indian market. Mr Sen comments, “A huge advantage that QuadTech has over its competitors is the fact that it has an Indian office. This means there is never any problem with service or support.
“Their Indian office has technicians who speak our language in both a literal and metaphorical sense. The language barrier can sometimes prove tricky to overcome, especially when it comes to the finer points of training. The fact that the QuadTech engineers speak the local languages is an immense help. When you are explaining to the operators about the settings and circuits, they always learn better in their mother tongue.”
Bennett Coleman and Co. Ltd was founded in 1839. The Times of India is the company’s flagship daily with a circulation of 3.3 million and is printed at 15 sites across India. The company employs over 5,000 people in its print division and 2,000 in broadcast and new media.